Judge: Texas Foster Care System Violates Children’s Rights

A federal judge ruled Thursday that Texas has violated foster children’s constitutional rights to be free from an unreasonable risk of harm, saying that children “often age out of care more damaged than when they entered.”

“Years of abuse, neglect and shuttling between inappropriate placements across the state has created a population that cannot contribute to society, and proves a continued strain on the government through welfare, incarceration or otherwise,” the ruling states. “… Although some foster children are able to overcome these obstacles, they should not have to.”